As an artist, I have long believed that if I constantly push myself, doing new and different types of art, in the end I would become more well rounded. I have done works that I felt would help me grow because ultimately, it would add value for collectors.

I am also extremely hard headed in that I refuse to believe there is something that I cannot do if I dedicate myself to learning and mastering it.

I have updated the site today with some of my newest works from 2 series I started some time ago.

The texture of dance

Black Panther Party

These 2 series are extremely personal to me and I am hopeful that my passion for the subject shines through on each painting.

My hope is to create timeless and powerful work that evokes thought and feeling within the viewers.

Texture for its movement and beauty, Black Panther for its messages and symbolism that brought about the formation of that group in October of 1966 by Huey P. Newton, Elbert "Big Man" Howard, Sherwin Forte, Bobby Seale, Reggie Forte, and Little Bobby Hutton for the sole purpose of protecting the black community through community policing. Utilizing existing open carry laws at the time they were a visible threat to corrupt police officers and a deterent for crime in the communities they lived and served in.

With this series, I hope to show why the group was formed, how they were a positive influence in the community and how the downfall of the party and other social changes have impacted our communities to this day.

I am also working on another series in which I am using my photographs taken on vacation as references.

These land and seascapes are my way of contintuing to push myself because I refuse to stop learning and striving.

I so appreciate your continued interest in my work and development as an artist and I hope you enjoy where my art takes me moving forward.

There comes a time in some peoples lives where they have worked their asses off and it is recognized. The popularity gods are shining on them and they are basking in their own magnificence because, well, they are great right?

Here's the thing about greatness.

Greatness isnt in that popularity, but what got you there.

You worked your ass of to get to a certain level and you did it in relative obscurity. No one was there when you honed your craft, when you berated your every mistake, when you sacraficed everything in the pursuit of excellence.

There will come a time, a conversation, a moment when you question what got you to this point. Someone will recommend an amazing new (fast) technique or better way to do things and your mind will say..........maybe I should. What could it hurt?

To which, the answer should be, is that why you are successful in this moment?

What got you here? Now?

There are no shortcuts to excellence folks. You have to work your ass off and keep working every day.

Some of the most successful people in their fields carry with them the same work ethic that they had 10-20 years ago. Still have the same processes and techiques. They tweek things as needed and always look for new learnings, things that will enhance, not replace learned skills.

So the ego kicks in when the success first comes and we just lose our minds (in my Joker voice).

Lets not be crazy people.....just keep doing what you were doing.

Dance like no one is looking.

Just more nonsensical ramblings from your friendly neighborhood artist dude.

“… Artists must be true to themselves to produce, absent of the want of acceptance or the lure of the popular. I think artists that do so must have courage and they must have a total disregard of failing …” JOSEPH PICCILLO

So here we are as citizens of this amazing country, on the verge of a presidential election where the winner will have the ability to influence policy for the next 4-8 years.

I grew up in a time where if you had family all over the country and wanted to connect with them you did one of 3 things

You called them

You wrote them a letter or postcard

You went to see them

Today, there are so many more opportunities for dialogue with people, but I ask you, is it good?

I contest that today we are in a very dangerous place as it relates to connecting with each other. You can't fully hash out a thought in a text. You can't clearly articulate a concept through instant messenger. You can't show true expression through typed words (unless you are a brilliant litterary scholar).

This is truly dangerous because we have now a generation of displaced and disconnected.

I, for one find it concerning that an entire generation gets their thoughts, views, news and concepts from;

Social Media

Local or national new channels

As a young man, to see my mother or father sit down and write a letter to a family member was absolutely amazing.

You had to put thought into what you wanted to say. Now you can replace those thougths and words with emoticons that say absolutely nothing.

Why am I bringing this up?

I am bringing it up now because our general disconnection from each other is creating a lone wolf kind of culture whereby, the disenfranchised can operate outside the box.

Hear me out. If I live next door to you, do you know my views on recent world events?

If your neighbor was thinking about doing something truly distructive, would you know them well enough to forsee it?

As you move into your formative years and begin to build a life for yourself, the best piece of advise I can give you is..................

GET OUT OF YOUR PARENTS HOUSE!

Unless you are paying half the rent or half the bills or contributing to that house is a meaningful way, you really are a guest in someone's home. Its not yours to do as you want. There will always be rules that you have to adhere to regardless of your age.

Lets be serious, did you really think that because you are of legal age that you are empowered to do anything other that what you have been doing for the last 18-19-20 years?

No

The only thing that has changed is that you are now a grown person living off your parents.

If you feel any more entitled than you did last year or the year before then you are fooling yourself.

We live in a society where participation is the end game. Yes you have to be in it to win it but the goal is to win...........Right???

Some of the consolation prizes are nicer than some of the winners rewards we saw growing up.

We ask questions to people who we know will tell us what we want to hear not what we need to hear.

And on the flip side, we answer questions with full consideration of the person's feelings, often beating around the bush to get to a place where we can comfortably say what we really want to say without alienating them.

Let me go on record here and say, Nothing says I love you like the pure unadulterated truth.

Fluff be dammed, what is the message I should walk away with?

There is a small portion of society it seems that value the truth over all things.

How else are we supposed to learn and move to a position of success unless we know that what we are doing sucks?

If little Jimmy is making lemonade that tastes like urine and you don't tell him, how is little Jimmy to know that his taste buds may be severely damaged if you keep fake drinking it while pouring it out the side?

If I drive consistently over the median line, wouldnt you tell me?

There is certanly some prefacing that needs to happen with these scenarios, because of course we have desensitized everyone from the truth. People now get in their feelings when confronted with it, especially from strangers.

Just set that expectation that this relationship will be one grounded in honesty above all else, and you should be fine.

Just more nonsensical ramblings from your friendly neighborhood artist dude.

I know many people may read my random thoughts and come to the conclusion that I am sitting on high, pointing my finger down at the rest of society wagging it at you all because I have a big head.

I promise, that’s not the case. Well the big head part maybe, but these are not posts of judgement.

I post them as random because these are actual inner conversations I have had that I am sharing with the world and whether they make sense to you or not, I assume like me, they are making sense to someone.

We all have inner dialogue about things that are of great importance and some that quite frankly are embarrassing. But we all have them. I choose to share many of mine with you.

I also submit to you that when your inner conversations lead you to a place where everything in your world is perfect and the people around you are all insane, stupid or not even worthy of having a say in this vast a great world around us, or your conversations just stop because you are so perfect, that’s your ego.

Nothing wrong with having an ego, but an ego unchecked is not really a good thing.

Surround yourself with people that will call you on BS when needed and always look at who your actions will help as well as hurt before making decisions.

If you are the onlybeneficiary, kick rocks with flip flops you selfish bum!

How awesome is it to, as a young child, pick up a pencil in class and realize that you are so much better at drawing than all the other kids.

The teacher praises you. Your classmates look at what you drew with envy. Your head gets big and your chest pokes out as you see the attention you are getting at this very moment and it leads you to the above mentioned affirmation.

Really, if you are the best in your class then how long before you are the best in the whole wide world? Shouldnt be long right? Heck, I can just drop out of school and go straight to Art School and within a few months, be the next Michaelangelo or Picasso right?

Right?

Wrong!

A career in art is not that easy. What makes a master painter is the years that painter has put into mastering their craft. Years of painting every day. Years of hearing no. Years of being their own worst critic. Years of successes, and failures.

As a species, many of us can only see past the end of our nose as it relates to the way the world works. We think that things will ultimately bend to our will because, well, we are US. If I just go talk to that gallery, I can convince them that I am worth a chance because I am a great artist.

Oh Really?

How many paintings have you finished? Where are they hanging?

The purpose of this blog post is not to crap on anyones dreams. The purpose is really to deliver a message.

Great painters are great because they have painted so many days that they have lost count. They have created works of art that, if you ask them about them, they will tell you how they were feeling when they painted it, though it was painted before you were born.